Automobile bumper



lllley 25, 1-926.

'WEZQLXAM ALBERT CRAWFORD-FROST. F BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

AUTOMOBILE BUMPER.

Application filed October 10, 1825. Serial No. 61,739.

lily invention relates to automobile bumpers and consists in an elevated device to be attached to automobile bun'ipers such as are now in connnon use, or,-by uprights to some it port of thecar lower than the headlights.

The objects of this inventionare to minimine the shocl-r to a pedestrian when he is struck by an automobile and to prevent him from being thrown backwards against the 0 car, or under it; and to afford additional protection to the lamps and radiator of an automobile, or other parts that cannot be. protected b low bumpersj These an other objects are accomplished l chiefly by having it horizontal bumper supported by spring" uprights, preferably of list steel, wluchrest upon and are attached to the bumpers now in use for the protection oi? the'car only. At present the bumpers in e use ere usually so low that they strike a pedestrian on the legs and throw him back against the rigid radiator, or lamps, or the end of a tender and he thus suficrs the imnot of the weight and momentum of the car.

y my device the elevated horizontalbump- *er, striking him higher on the body, prevents his being throw back against the car. If the pedestrian is standing directly in front of the middle of the car, the shock is 0 minimized chiefly by the yielding oi the up right springs, but this would seldom happen as the driver generally has time to turn the car it little to either side. Most frequently the pedestrian, therefore, when this device i is used, will be struck by an outer side of the elevated horizontal bumper, and the shock will be minimized, not only "by the yielding oi the upright springs but by the yieldin of the outer side of the elevated horizonta bumper as Well, which will tend to throw him notonly :t'orwards but'ofl' to.one side and clear of the car altogether. While this will subject him to the danger of hitting the ground 1tv will prove to be much less serious than receiving the full impact of a rigidly atteched part of the car and then hitting the ground with the chance of being run over by the wheels as well.

The protection'aflorded by the device to i the lamps and radiator is obvious from a glance at the position it occupies higher than and in front of the lamps and in front of the radiator. It often happens that, with closely pz-irlrcd ours, or where vehicular trafiic is l congested, the lamps, or radiators, or tenders are struck by the-projecting part of a vehicle in spite of the bumpers now in use. In such-cases the elevated horizontal bumper attachment will afford valuable protection.

Referring to the accompiinying drawings:

Similar parts'are indicated by the same letters throughout. Figure 1 isa front elevation of the device, showing the elevated horizontal bumper, up rights and clamps.

Figure 2 is a front elevation of the device clamped to'an ordinary bumper and showing v approximately the position of the uprights and elevated bumper in relation to the lamps of an automobile.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of one of the clamps.

Referring to Figure 1: A shows an elevated horizontal bumper composed in this case of two fiat pieces of nickel-plated steel connected together by a rod at each end and also by being welded or clamped or bolted to the upright supports B, B, at the location of D.D .B and B, are composed of nickelplated flat steel pieces and terminate below so in the clamps Cnnd C, which show squareheaded bolts F, F F,, F,.

Referring to FigureQ-we seen the horizontal bumper of my device attached to the ordinary bumper of an automobile the clamps Cnnd C, in which the bolts F, F F F pass between or under the members of the bumper G thus holding the device securely. The uprights B and B, are shown bct-wcen'the lamps E and E, while the elc valcd horizontal bumper A is above them.

It should be understood that while your petitioner prefers this construction and errangement of parts, he does not feel bound to limit himself to them. The elevated horizontul bumper may be single, double, triple, or consist of. any number of members. It may be of steel, wood, upholstered leather, woven wire, or any suitable material. The

uprights may be nearer together or'further ice apart, longer or shorter, narrower or wider,

and may be of any desired number. They may be braced andof an shape so long as they support the elevated horizontal bumper. The clamps may be of any suitable designv according to the kind of bumper already on .the car, round or flat, or the uprights may be welded to, the lowerbum or. The device may occupy any relation-o position as concerns the lamps so long as it is iniront of them and does not obstruct the light from 'the lamps. The drawings merely show the nature and purpose of the device and one,

horizontal bumper, situated higher than the preferred form of it.

The device being of so simple a character it does not appear that a further description of details is necessar the purposes being easily understood an Having, therefore, fully described his invention, what your petitioner desires to claim as new, and for which he prays that the means by which they are accomplished being equally obvious.

Letters Patent be granted to him are as follows: r

. 1. In connection with an automobile, a 16 headlights, supported by uprights that rise from a member of a low bumper.

2. In connection With-en automobile an elevated horizontal bumper of flat steel springs supported by spring uprights and attached to an automobile bumper as shown herein.

' WILLIAM A. CRAWFORD-FROST. 

